Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
About the Book
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Epilogue 1
Epilogue 2
ABOUT THE AUTHORs
The
B Team
A Dark Leopards MC Novel
West Michigan Chapter
Christine Michelle
&
Bella Hickman
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
The B Team
Copyright 2020 © Christine Michelle/Christine M. Butler/Bella Hickman
The character of Thian is created by Mandi Konesni and is copyrighted to her but used with permission for purposes of the previous anthology release and this extended book version.
The characters of Dmitri aka Snow and Verity are created by Maria Vickers and copyrighted to her but used with permission purposes of the previous anthology release and this extended book version.
The characters of Knox, Wooly, and Mammoth were created by Darlene Tallman and are copyrighted to her but used with permission purposes of the previous anthology release and this extended book version.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized scanning, uploading, reprint, distribution or use of this material is prohibited. Further, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from Christine Michelle, the author.
www.moonlitdreams.org
About the Book
Brace
It wasn’t normal to feel the way we did. So said most of our kind, anyway. We hid out true feelings, looking to the rest of the world like best friends, club brothers, and unofficial, oddball packmates. In secret, we loved one another. There wasn’t room for anyone else. Not until she came into our lives.
Bomber
Screw our society and their stupid rules. So, neither of us wanted to find the female mate that was just ours. Sure, my kind weren’t exactly plentiful any longer and I should be doing my part to propagate the species, but B was just too shiny a gem for me to pass up in the beginning. Before I knew it, he became my most precious treasure. Then she came along and swept us both away.
Betina
I happened upon them by accident. My boys. My soulmates. I may have been truly fated for one, but I couldn’t deny the pull of both. In our world, a triad could never happen. It’s a good thing, none of us cared what they thought. We were the B-Team.
1
No one had to tell me Solarin was dead.
The moment her life left her body, I felt my scar begin to tingle, ever so slightly, and in the deepest recesses of my being, I could feel him. Chills ran down my spine as I felt my ‘mate’ in my soul again for the first time in ages, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before Fynn found me. My mate had never been my choice or my fate. I’d had my options stolen from me when I was still a child. Fynn had taken me and made me his. Being rescued from his Claw was something one of the Council of Feline Shifter members had accomplished for me. That was where I met the witch, Solarin, who was able to cast the spell on me to keep me hidden from my mate. Now that she was dead, the link to the magic that kept our mate link at bay was gone.
Feeling his presence in my body forced me to empty the already sparse contents of my stomach. I was too nervous to eat with the Dark Leopards MC out trying to hunt down a witch and a member of the Feline Council to find the triplets. Bile burned the back of my throat for several minutes as my stomach tried expelling the demon that was Fynn. My fear threatened to spill out into a full panic attack until I felt a gentle hand begin to rub circles into my back in a calming motion. The gesture brought me down to Earth, and gave me something external to focus on.
“Is there anything I can do to help you? Maybe some crackers and a water bottle?” The voice offering me help belonged to one of the prospects of the club whom they all referred to as “Kid” because of his baby face. I didn’t know him well, but he was left out of the mission since he was destined to help produce the next generation of shadow cats, and no one wanted the Council to find out. Unsure of whether I could actually speak yet, I nodded my head. He patted my back twice and hopped up to grab what I needed from behind the bar in the middle of the clubhouse den.
“You can tell me to fuck right off if you want,” Kid began, “but I have to ask. What caused that? I was sitting behind the bar waiting for an update this entire time, and you seemed fine until you weren’t. And even if you don’t want to tell me, at least let me know what else I can do to help. I’m bored as hell sitting here while everyone else is on some badass rescue mission.” He smiled slyly at me and winked, causing me to to smile back through the pain that my stomach and heart were causing me.
The others were taking part in a rescue mission. My friends, the current shadow cat triplets: Chantal, Charisma, and Charlotte had all been taken. The leader of the Council of Feline Shifters had a hard-on for Chantal, and despite her being mated already, he was determined to break her bond and make her his. Unfortunately, his sister was a strong enough witch that she could make it happen if they were given enough time to carry out their plans. Judging from the missing block on my mate link, the Dark Leopards had arrived in time. At least, I hoped they had arrived in time and that all the girls were still alive and well.
“I won’t tell any man who brings me water and crackers, while I’m throwing up, to fuck off. Thank you, by the way,” I forced another smile. “The reason for that episode you just witnessed is actually a very long story, but the short version is that I’ve been on the run from a very scary man who claimed me against my will a long time ago, barring me from ever finding my true mate. Unfortunately, the witch who has been protecting me just died, and with her, the glamour that hid me away died too. He may not know where I am right this second, but he is aware of my presence again, and it won’t be long before he does know how to find me. I can feel it, and thus so can he.” I averted my gaze before his look of pity could seep into my soul and help the tears I’d been holding back start to flow. If I could help it, I’d never cry another tear over the sorry excuse of a man that hurt me so long ago.
“Well fuck, that’s definitely worse than any scenario I had going in my head,” he said, eyes wide, shaggy brown hair falling just a bit over one of them. He paused for a moment before adding, “I don’t know much of anything that goes on around here because I’m just a prospect at the end of the day. I’m pretty low on the totem pole. That being said, even I can see that there’s at least one man in our ranks that isn’t going to let anything happen to you. You may have a sorry excuse for a man after you soon, but you also have an entire band of badass, motorcycle-riding shifters that are going to stand in his way. You’ve made quite the impression around here in your short time, you know?” My smile in response to his words couldn’t have felt more natural and genuine.
“You’re sweet, Kid. I just hope y
ou’re right. I also hope that the rest of the guys are back soon, and that Solarin being dead is a good sign for them. Part of me is worried that they had to kill her because the fight got out of hand, and I’m hoping none of the good guys got hurt.”
“Well, why don’t we switch things up a bit? I’m antsy as fuck too, and just sitting here isn’t helping. You wanna play a game or something?”
~*~
Kid and I had been playing Texas Hold ‘Em Poker for hours, gambling with a combination of snacks and snarky IOUs written down on paper to be claimed at a later date. In the beginning, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to focus on a game knowing that Brace and his brothers were still out there, and that Solarin was dead and could no longer cloak my bond. Instead, I’d nearly forgotten about the rest of the world while I was laughing and talking shit every round we played. I was an only child, but I’d always wanted a brother, and my interaction with Kid was exactly what I’d always imagined having a brother would be like.
“All right, you might think you’re hot shit, what with that huge pile of snacks you’ve got there, but this is the round where I take it all back. Better watch yourself, girl!” Kid taunted, tossing a wink in my direction. Before I could respond, his phone rang, and his facial expression quickly settled on something more serious. He answered before the second ring. “Yeah?” I couldn’t hear what was being said on the other line, but I knew it was most likely one of the officers from the MC. I hoped with my entire being that it was good news. “Yeah, I’ll open the gates now,” he said into the phone before hanging up. “As much as I’d love to absolutely kick your ass with this stellar hand I had here, the guys are outside, and they brought prisoners back with them, so I need you to go into Brace’s room and lock yourself in there. I don’t want you getting hurt if something goes wrong transporting said prisoners into their new cells.”
“First of all, we both know I was about to win. Second, I will be waiting right here. I’m not worried about any danger they’ve brought back with them, I just need to see with my own eyes that everyone is okay.” He looked ready to argue with me, but I knew that he didn’t have the time to wait out my resolve.
“Ugh, you’re gonna get me in trouble, lady. Whatever, just hide behind the bar then. Don’t make yourself known until I’ve given you the all clear. That’s not up for debate, got it?”
“Of course.” I did as I was told and hid behind the bar while everyone walked in, but when I felt Brace’s presence in the building, I couldn’t help but jump out from my place behind the bar to go check him over.
“Wait, what are you doing down here? I gave the prospect strict orders to-” I cut him off by wrapping my arms around his next and squeezing him into a hug.
“I know. I didn’t listen. Don’t blame Kid,” I whispered into his ear. Pulling back, I looked him over for any sign that he could’ve been hurt.
“I’m fine, but thanks for worrying about me. Thian was shot, but it was just the shoulder, and since we had Doc with us, he’s already patched up and high as a kite.” Bomber brushed past then, using his shoulder to push Brace out of the way. I watched as Brace tensed, appearing both sad and pissed off. I hated that they were fighting, and I hated it even more because I knew I had been the one to create that tension, even if Bomber had yet to say that to me directly.
“If you need to go talk to him, I completely understand.” I stated honestly.
“Not right now. there’s actually something more pressing that I need to discuss with you, and it’s not the best of news.”
“If you’re trying to tell me that Solarin is dead, I already know.” He eyed me inquisitively, prompting me to continue. “I could feel it. When she died, so did her protective spell. I can feel him again. It’s not strong yet, but it will be if I don’t find another witch to help me cloak the bond sometime very soon.” The pained look in his eyes stung me. I hated having people feel sorry for me.
“I swear to you, I’ve already talked to Knox about it. We will help you find another witch. You were never meant to be collateral damage in any battle of ours, especially after your information helped us find Chantal and her sisters. We discussed it on the way back, and Bomber will be heading out on the road with us as soon as possible.”
“Oh. I think Bomber hates me. Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Bomb doesn’t hate you, and I’ll see to it that he doesn’t get to be an ass the entire trip. The two of us make a great team, and even when he’s being petty, I know that he will come through for me. You may not know him as well as I do, but-”
“I trust you,” I stated, cutting him off, and eliciting a half-smile from him in the process. “If you think he’s the best guy for the job, I’m not going to stand in the way. I’m just grateful you’re helping me at all.”
“Thank you. We will keep you safe, I promise. Will you be ready to leave tomorrow? We need to figure this out quickly because I don’t want him to find us before we find a witch to help you out.”
“I’m ready whenever you are.” I started to move out of his space so that I could go pack some things, but Brace stopped me.
“One day, we’re going to relinquish that spell for real, but it will be so that we can hunt him down and take care of the problem once and for all. I need you to understand that finding a witch is just a temporary patch on this issue. We have concerns about the rest of the council, and possible war with them after what went down with Raven and Solarin today. Once all of that has been tended to, we will be tracking down this piece of shit mate of yours, and then Bomber and I will set you free from him.”
Tears formed and dripped down my cheeks before I could even think of keeping them at bay. “I don’t even know how to thank you for considering doing that for me.”
“This isn’t about needing thanks or expecting anything at all in return. You deserve a life of your choosing, not to be shackled to a monster who would take you before you even reached your womanhood.”
All I could do was nod and turn on my heels to head to my room so that I could be prepared to leave when they were ready. It was a dream, to one day be free of Flynn. If the Dark Leopards MC were to grant me that freedom, I would owe them a life debt, whether they wanted payment or not.
2
This trip was going to suck.
Big time. I hated being stuck in a cage and not being able to feel the air rush past me on my bike. More than that, I definitely wasn’t looking forward to the bitter awkwardness already tangible in the air between the three of us, and it would be like this for hours on end. We were barely an hour into the trip, and not a single word had been spoken between us. Betina sat between Bomber and I, and despite the small space we were all stuck in, she was doing her level best to maintain at least a few inches of distance between her and Bomber. I was fine with it since that meant she was leaning heavily into my side.
Still, I’d never known another situation with Bomb to be awkward. Since the day I met him, our conversations had always flowed easily, and although we’d argued, we’d never been in a fight like this one. I almost felt bad, but I was too pissed off. Betina had been through so much, and he didn’t even know the half of it because he refused to speak to her. I shot Betina my best empathetic half-smile to let her know I felt bad for the tension. Unfortunately, Bomber saw my side glance, and the temperature in the cab rose by at least 8 degrees.
“Damn, Bomb, can you chill the fuck out? Literally, it feels like a sauna in here.” I damn near yelled, rolling my eyes emphatically.
“Maybe if you weren’t throwing shit in my face and acting like you didn’t want a reaction the entire time!” Bomber shouted back, causing Betina to flinch. “This trip is already destined to be shitty, maybe let’s not make it any worse than it has to be, and we go back to being silent, huh?”
“The only person making this trip shitty is you, Bomb.” Sadness was evident in my tone, even through the irritation.
“It’s okay, Brace. We can have a silent trip. I’m fine. I
’m just grateful you’re both with me. If I had to find a new witch alone, I’d be looking over my shoulder every step of the way. Thank you, both of you, and I apologize for any tension I’m causing with my presence.” Betina replied diplomatically and earnestly. I felt my heart swell listening to her. Instead of taking a defensive route with Bomber, she chose to take the high road.
“Whatever,” Bomber huffed out in a pissy tone, causing me to slam on the brakes in a moment of petty vengeance. Bomber’s head flew forward and hit the dash, but I’d thrown my arm out across Betina’s chest to prevent her from the same fate.
The B Team: A Dark Leopards MC Novella Page 1